CompostingDon’t throw out those banana peels! Composting is the ideal way to recycle nutrients back into the soil and provide balanced fertilizer to plants. Not only is compost good to feed your plants, it’s good for the earth, plus it improves the structure of soil and protects plants against disease, insects and drought. Creating compost is easy and fun to do, plus it’s FREE! There are many methods so you’ll need to decide what works best for your space and resources. Keep kitchen scraps in a bucket or container with a lid to avoid fruit flies and daily trips to the compost pile. The various methods for composting can take a book to write, so here I will just give you the common and easiest suggestions for getting started. You can make a simple compost pile on the ground or you can use an open bin or crate constructed of wood, wire or straw bales. Depending on your space, you’ll want to do what makes sense for you. Layer your fruit and vegetable peelings, weeds, grass clippings, trimmings and leaves with garden soil. Don’t add animal products, such as fats or dairy products or anything at all that has been cooked. And of course, don’t use your dog or cat’s droppings! It’s best to have a 36" wide space in all directions to help build heat. Either way you start, in no time you will have wonderfully rich compost to add to your garden or plants. Another way to provide compost is to plant a cover crop during the off season. There are many great and easy crops to choose from, such as buckwheat, soybeans, mustard and sorghum among many others. Generally, you let the crops get high and bloom, but do not let them seed, then till them under for your next garden. If you simply don’t have enough for your entire garden, you can order natural organic compost. There are also composting bins for sale. Click Here to find some composting options.
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